Craig
by Gypsy Love
Summary: This is an odd summary of the events of Craig's life by someone who speaks English well but as a second language.
1. Chapter 1

Craig is fucked up boy. His mother die. His father beat him. He go to live with Joey. Joey is step-father. But he still have trouble. He still fear his father, fear beatings, fear not being loved enough by him. Then his father die, but first he hit him again, knock him down, make fun of his life. Craig feel that he hate his father, and he yell at him. Tell him he is one who screws up. And then father drive off and die that way, car accident.

Then Craig try and pretend everything is fine, that father's death not bother him. He still go to school and plan on going to dance with his sort of girlfriend, Ashley. Everyone tell him that he need time, that he is upset and Craig deny. Teachers say this, principal of school say this, Joey say this. Craig deny. Ashley say it and he yell at her. But they are right. Even though he not want to be upset he is, of course. Is father.

Craig is having denial. He not let father's death change his plans and he goes to dance. Things are fine at dance at first but he and Ashley win luau king and queen. They go up to stage and get paper crowns and everyone claps and then Craig think he see his father. Father is dead but Craig see him in the middle of the floor and Craig think these things. He want father to be proud of him for winning dance thing, he want father to love him, and he want things to have been okay. Then he goes toward person he thought was father and he see it is just teacher, Mr. Boyd. Craig is upset he thought he see father because he know father dead. But it seem real to him. He think he maybe crazy. Something wrong with him. So he leave room where dance is and go to other room to be alone.

Ashley look for Craig and find him alone. Ashley think she can understand what Craig going through, but Ashley never know such tragedy. But she young so not understand what she not understand, and she try to help Craig. Try to tell him it was too soon to go to dance, too soon after tragedy of father death. Then Craig get mad. Sort of mad at Ashley but also mad about situation, that his father beat him, that his father die, that his mother die. He know this is hard life for someone only 14 and he feel this unfair, feel mad at everything. Ashley is target. He yell at her, face distorted in anger and Ashley feel afraid. He tear down big poster on wall about dance and run off down hallway. Ashley want to go after him but principal stop her.

Craig run down hall and cry and talk to other girl, Terri. Terri mother die too so she know some of what Craig is feeling and she try to help. Then he start to cry and start to grieve. This is shaking, heart wrenching sobbing. This cry that can heal. Then when Craig done crying he find Ashley and dance with her. He is calm down and tell Ashley she can ask him how he is without him losing temper again and Ashley ask how he is and Craig say, "better," in soft and broken voice.

So then next thing happen to Craig he have Ashley is girlfriend. Craig and Ashley are lot alike. They have shared interests. But Ashley love Craig and say she love him and Craig scared to say it back. This make Ashley feel these things. Insecure. Scared. Mad. She want Craig to say it to her and then she have sex with him. Craig can't say it. He buy her 12 roses and write on note card to go with flowers, "Ash, you rock, XO, Craig" This note make Ashley mad. Note supposed to say he love her. Why Craig can not say he love her? Because parents are dead? Because he abused child? Whatever reason Ashley say they take break, like Rachel and Ross from "Friends". Craig upset at this, he not want break like that so he write song where he say he love her and sing it to her in school. This song make Ashley happy and she say he can stay after surprise birthday party and they can have sex then.

It is at party he tell Spinner he staying late to have sex with Ashley. Spinner make it obvious to Ashley that he know this and Ashley get mad. She make Craig go outside with her and she say how you can tell Spinner? She say this private between us. Craig say he only tell one friend. Then Ashley say he write dumb song and that he can't say he love her because he doesn't love her. This is what Ashley fear. Craig not love her. She say Craig con her into having sex with him and this make Craig mad. It make him mad because he does love her but has trouble to say it so he say it with music, he hide behind music to say it. It hurt for him to admit he love people. Ashley not understanding.

This is when Manny come outside, after Craig leave party all mad. Manny say Ashley not deserve him, and she hear song in gym and if song was for her Manny say she be happy forever. Craig take Manny back with him to garage and have sex with her there. Manny get pregnant.


	2. Chapter 2

Next day at school Craig stand on steps, see Manny and she come over, start to talk about leaving messages. Craig put his hands up, shake his head, say he not know what happened and then Ashley come over. She say to Manny that she want to talk to Craig, and Manny sad. Her face crumple up. Ashley say she was wrong, she say will he forgive her and take her back? Craig let Ashley hug him and he say close to her ear, 'you want me back?' and she say yes. So Manny stare at him with sad eyes and she see he getting back together with Ashley.

So he is having two girlfriends. One is secret from the other, but one knows about the other. This is dangerous game. Everyone will get hurt, but he plays this anyway. He calls one and sneaks out with the other. He thinks he cannot decide which girl to choose. But when comes the time he say he choose, but he lie, both girls find out and he is dumped by both.

So sad to be in this trouble from his own actions, and he knows this. He know he cause the pain they were all feeling, and sits in the empty hall holding the bracelet Manny drop at his feet, she not want it or him anymore. Joey ask him what is wrong and he tell him but not happily. He tell Joey he ruin everything, cheat on Ashley, they all hate him. Joey try to make him feel better, say he did similar thing with friend Caitlin when he was near to the same age and they got over it. But Craig think he not get over it at all and that he still like/love Caitlin. He sees this future for himself, not able to get over the pain he caused.

He not know Manny pregnant. Both girls mean to him at school. Ashley say mean things and walk angry away. Craig accept this because he feel he deserve it. Manny ignore him, run the other way when she see him coming. Then Manny fall off balance beam and run from gym. Craig taking pictures for the school paper and see her fall, see her run. He run after her to make her feel better. He still like both girls. Still feel bad he lied to them, that he was two-timer.

"Manny," he say, "it not so bad," She look at him and stand up, say funny thing. Ask if that night he wear condom. His look get dark because he know what this question mean. She think she pregnant. He thought she on pill, he think this because she had say it was okay. Now she tell him it was first time and she not on pill, they not use condom, but everything is fine. Now he need to get away, and he leave her there.

She want to meet with him one day at school and he not want to. Not want her to say she pregnant but then he think that it okay. That he can have family of his own, Manny and the baby can be his. His parents dead. He only stay at Joey house, just some guy house he tell Spinner.

This seem like happy time in funny way. He carry her books and think of baby names but Ashley mad, she narrow her eyes and look with daggers, "how could you sleep with her?" she say. She announce to the whole school that Manny pregnant and that Craig get her pregnant. Manny is ashamed. Craig is not caring what Ashley say or do because it is bigger for him. It is a way to belong when he not really belong at Joey's. He there because of screwed up situation at his other house, his father's house. Now he can have little family and be whole. He think this. But Manny start to realize she can't be a mom yet, she can't be fat or be mom and she too young and so is Craig and she decide she get abortion.

This make Craig sad. He try to yell at her and stop her but he can't stop her. She do it. So that is that and Ashley still mad, still moping around all sad she lose boyfriend. They have band contest and Craig think he can beat Ashley band but when he try write song can't write one. Writer's block. Marco try to help by screaming and Craig try and it not work. Jimmy and Spinner write sexist rap song and that not help, either. He have no song, Ashley have good mean song about him lying, and being in her way. She mad. And still he can't think of song.

Last minute before show he write song about being so sorry to her, that he hurt her and he couldn't see and song is sincere, it win contest. It get Ashley to forgive him.

The next year in school Ashley try to be friend with him again and they friends for awhile. Bad things happen this year in school. Jimmy shot and paralyzed. He not die. Craig start to feel like he have more energy, like thoughts are going faster. It nice at first, but then it get scary. He think he feel weird because his friend shot. And Ashley is friend with him again. He think it these things make him feel funny.


	3. Chapter 3

He stay up all night, write songs. He feel energy and inspiration. Fall in love with Ashley again. Yell at teachers at school. Out of control. Ashley say she want him to go to father wedding. Snake tell Joey something wrong with Craig but Joey deny. Joey say Craig nothing like his father.

Craig ask Joey to use his credit card but Joey say no. Craig steal card and get hotel room, bring Ashley there for night. They have sex. Pants on the lampshade. Morning come and Ashley cry. Maybe she in love. That when she say Craig to come to father wedding, and he take stolen credit card and buy a lot of things.

At gay bar he ask her to marry him and she say no, pull hand away. He get mad, leave. Ashley cry and he destroy hotel room. Ashley call in morning, Craig sitting at table with room destroyed behind him, T.V. on floor, lamps broken, pictures destroyed. She say she will marry him someday. So he happy again.

At Ashley father wedding Craig say he and Ashley going to marry, Ashley mad, not want him to tell everyone future plans. She tell him to leave but he not leave, he yell at her parents, shove guy and get shoved back, knock over table. Ashley stare in horror. Something wrong with him. He not acting right. So he leave again.

Meantime, Joey discover credit card missing, and get call from hotel about all money he owe from destruction of hotel room. Eyes wide with puzzlement and anger, and Snake say something wrong with Craig.

So Joey accept Craig have something wrong, and he look for him. He go to wedding but Ashley say Craig not there. Craig go home then and Caitlin and Angela look at him. His hand bloody from hitting wall. Eyes filled with tears. He give ring to Angela to hold, she say, 'what is it?'

Craig go upstairs and change suit to jeans and t-shirt, take shower, curls all damp. He give Caitlin envelope of money for Joey and going to leave, but Joey come home. Joey have mad eyes, looking at Craig. 'There's something wrong with you,' he say. Craig shake his head no. He fine, he say. Fine. He try to leave but Joey not let him, Joey hold onto him and pull him back into room. This pulling and not letting go remind Craig of his father, and he get scared, then mad. He older now. No one will hurt him like that again. It like being in past, like being with his father and not Joey and he start to punch Joey over and over, won't stop. Then Ashley come in and stop him, and he see, sitting in the corner of the room, he see what he had done.

Hospital. Hospital bracelet on his wrist. Diagnosed bipolar. He think Ashley would want to leave because he crazy. She say she not leave, come and visit. Lay down on hospital bed with him, they say they together.

So now it's fall-out from bipolar. Medications. Shrinks. Groups. Craig is trying to deal with it, not dealing with it well. Doesn't want anyone to know about it and Ashley send him to Ellie's group. He see Ellie there and get upset, stop talking, want to dissolve into the floor. Next day at school he yell at Ashley, slam locker door, walk away.

Now he friends with Ellie. He let her in. Still in love with Ashley. Taking medications faithfully, sometimes believing that will make him better. Joey and Ashley nag about that, always say, 'did you take your meds?' This question make him feel bad. Make him feel damaged.

Ashley not really okay with bipolar thing. She worry about his medications and his moods. She always has to watch what she say. It make her tired. She need time away. So she plan to go to England. A summer away being tea girl. But Craig crazy in love with her and want to spend every minute with her and the summer is eternity. He plan way to spend summer in England and tell Ashley and she mad. Cry. Say, 'you can't follow me to England, Craig,' She leave and tell him to e-mail her, see her in September.

At home, shifting on the couch, Craig tell Joey everything fine. Ashley thrilled that he going to England, too.


End file.
